Emerging viruses in Africa: Molecular identification and characterisation of rodent-, shrew-, and bat-borne hantaviruses and assessment of their public health potential

非洲新出现的病毒：啮齿动物、鼩鼱和蝙蝠传播的汉坦病毒的分子鉴定和特征分析及其公共卫生潜力评估

• 批准号: 271325433
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Detlev H. Krüger
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin (BNITM)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2014-12-31 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/271325433?language=en
• 关键词: Emerging; viruses; Africa; Molecular; identification

Hantaviruses, members of the family Bunyaviridae, are emerging viruses causing two life-threatening human zoonoses; hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. The viruses are transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans.Our previous achievements led to the discovery of hantaviruses in rodent, shrew, and, particularly, bat reservoirs (Sangassou, Tanganya, Magboi, Makokou, Ponan, and Lompole virus) and to the evidence for human infections and occurrence of hantavirus disease in Africa.In the concluding project period, a consortium of virologists, zoologists, epidemiologists, and physicians from Africa and Germany will determine the biodiversity of hantaviruses and further zoonotic viruses in small mammalian reservoirs, particularly bats, in different Sub-Saharan African countries. Both the geographical distribution of these animal reservoirs according to ecological and climatic characteristics and the virus dynamics within the host population will be investigated. The animal sampling will be extended to those biomes that are so far under-represented. Attempts will be made to molecularly characterise newfound viruses. Biological and genetic properties of cell culture isolates will be analysed in order to assess their relevance for human health and to infer molecular evolution of hantaviruses in their natural hosts. Currently developed specific diagnostic approaches covering all hantavirus phylogroups will be used to identify human infections by the new African hantaviruses.In different African countries, we will implement the clinical case definition of hantavirus disease and set up diagnostic tools in regional hospitals, as currently done in Guinea. Moreover, a surveillance system for hantavirus infections based on serological evaluation of patients with fever of unknown origin from sentinel hospitals will be established. This continued effort will result in capacity building for the diagnosis and characterisation of hantaviruses and other emerging viruses in African laboratories and in the development of virus-diagnostic and public health expertise for the control of zoonotic infections. Young African scientist will be trained in zoological field studies, molecular biology including phylogenetics, and medical virology.

汉坦病毒是布尼亚病毒科的成员，是引起两种危及生命的人类人畜共患病的新出现病毒；肾综合征出血热和汉坦病毒心肺综合征。病毒从动物宿主传染给人类。我们以前的成就导致在啮齿动物、鼩鼱，特别是蝙蝠宿主（Sangassou、Tanganya、Magboi、Makokou、Ponan和Lompole病毒）中发现了汉坦病毒，并在非洲发现了人类感染和汉坦病毒病发生的证据。在项目结束期间，一个由来自非洲和德国的病毒学家、动物学家、流行病学家和医生组成的联盟将确定撒哈拉以南非洲不同国家小型哺乳动物储存库（特别是蝙蝠）中汉坦病毒和其他人畜共患病毒的生物多样性。将根据生态和气候特征调查这些动物宿主的地理分布以及宿主种群中的病毒动态。动物取样将扩展到那些迄今为止代表性不足的生物群系。人们将尝试对新发现的病毒进行分子表征。将分析细胞培养分离物的生物学和遗传特性，以评估其与人类健康的相关性，并推断汉坦病毒在其自然宿主中的分子进化。目前开发的涵盖所有汉坦病毒系群的具体诊断方法将用于确定新的非洲汉坦病毒的人类感染。在不同的非洲国家，我们将实施汉坦病毒病的临床病例定义，并在区域医院建立诊断工具，目前在几内亚就是这样做的。此外，将建立以哨点医院不明原因发热患者血清学评估为基础的汉坦病毒感染监测系统。这一持续努力将导致在非洲实验室诊断和描述汉坦病毒和其他新出现病毒的能力建设，以及开发病毒诊断和公共卫生专门知识，以控制人畜共患感染。年轻的非洲科学家将接受动物学实地研究、分子生物学（包括系统发育学）和医学病毒学方面的培训。